This book offers an introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum using examples of data from a variety of NASA missions and satellite technologies. The 84 problem sets included allow students to explore the concepts of waves, wavelength, frequency,...(View More) and speed; the Doppler Shift; light; and the energy carried by photons in various bands of the spectrum. Extensive background information is provided which describes the nature of electromagnetic radiation.(View Less)

The purpose of this lesson is to model for students gravitational waves and how they are created. Students will build a simple "Gravitational Wave Demonstrator" using inexpensive materials (plastic wrap, plastic cups, water, food coloring, and...(View More) rubber bands, marbles). Students should have a basic understanding of waves and be familiar with Einstein's theory of general relativity. The activity can be done either as a teacher demonstration or student activity. This lesson is part of the Cosmic Times teachers guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 1993 Cosmic Times Poster.(View Less)

Students explore the evidence for dark matter using the measurements made by the ROSAT X-ray satellite for a small group of galaxies. Prerequisite knowledge: students should be familiar with the Law of Universal Gravitation and able to work with the...(View More) formulas for kinetic and potential energy and the Law of Conservation of Energy. This lesson is part of the Cosmic Times teachers guide and is intended to be used in conjunction with the 1993 Cosmic Times Poster.(View Less)

In this demonstration, students experience the Doppler effect for sound. Students can compute the frequency change for motion along the line of sight (LOS) and determine the vector LOS component for motions not exactly on it. A buzzer, battery,...(View More) bicycle wheel, string and a rubber ball and a timer are needed for the demonstration. The resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.(View Less)

This interactive, online activity introduces students to the electromagnetic spectrum. Students view the electromagnetic spectrum in its entirety and become familiar with the characteristics of waves. Images of the sun in different wavelengths of...(View More) light are included to illustrate the concept that celestial objects can emit light in regions of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes cannot see. Upon completion of this activity, students will be familiar with the basic properties of waves and the electromagnetic spectrum. Student may work independently or in small groups to complete this activity. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "Star Light, Star Bright" that is available on the Amazing Space website.(View Less)

This interactive, online activity provides a method for generating waves using a computer. Students can select the energy they want the waves to have, observe how the waves appear on the screen, and then measure the frequency and wavelength of the...(View More) observed waves. Upon completion of this activity, students will have uncovered the relationship among frequency, wavelength, and energy. Students may complete this activity independently or in small groups. Detailed teacher pages, identified as Teaching Tips on the title page of the activity, provide science background information, lesson plan ideas, related resources, and alignment with national education standards. This activity is part of the online exploration "Star Light, Star Bright" that focuses on the electromagnetic spectrum and that is available on the Amazing Space website.(View Less)

This activity is one of several in which students are required to access and analyze actual data from NASA missions, including video "interviews" with real NASA scientists, to solve a mystery. In this mystery, students are challenged to determine if...(View More) a signal from space has a natural origin, or if it actually is a message from aliens. Alien Bandstand can be used as a supplemental learning tool to reinforce the scientific method, and as an example of how scientists analyze data in real-world situations. It is one of several activities within "Space Mysteries," a series of inquiry-driven, interactive Web explorations. Each Mystery in "Space Mysteries" is designed to teach at least one physical science concept (e.g. interactions of energy and matter, structures and properties of matter, energy, motion, or forces), and is accompanied by materials to be used by classroom teachers.(View Less)